To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
End Farm Bill Handouts to Big Ag
I urge you to oppose any version of the farm bill that includes wasteful subsidies to giant agribusinesses. In light of the difficult budget decisions we are making as a nation, these corporate handouts are unacceptable.
Why is this important?
After a two-year-long knock-down drag-out fight, Congress is on the verge of holding their final votes on the Farm Bill.
Unfortunately, it looks like the final bill will still include billions of dollars in farm subsidies, most of which will go to Big Ag. Since 1995, 75% of agricultural subsidies have gone to just 4% of farmers, with over 60% not getting a dime.
Even worse, $19 billion of those taxpayer subsidies have gone to pay for junk food ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup. Given the nation’s obesity epidemic, it’s hard to imagine a worse way to spend our tax dollars.
Some are claiming this new Farm Bill is real reform, but the truth is that most of the improvements are cosmetic. For example, in one creative sleight of hand, the bill eliminates one wasteful subsidy program only to replace it with another subsidy program with a new name that does the same thing.
As our nation faces significant cuts to critical programs, it seems impossible to justify handing out billions of dollars to support profitable agribusinesses that don’t need our money and produce crops that get processed into junk food additives.
Unfortunately, it looks like the final bill will still include billions of dollars in farm subsidies, most of which will go to Big Ag. Since 1995, 75% of agricultural subsidies have gone to just 4% of farmers, with over 60% not getting a dime.
Even worse, $19 billion of those taxpayer subsidies have gone to pay for junk food ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup. Given the nation’s obesity epidemic, it’s hard to imagine a worse way to spend our tax dollars.
Some are claiming this new Farm Bill is real reform, but the truth is that most of the improvements are cosmetic. For example, in one creative sleight of hand, the bill eliminates one wasteful subsidy program only to replace it with another subsidy program with a new name that does the same thing.
As our nation faces significant cuts to critical programs, it seems impossible to justify handing out billions of dollars to support profitable agribusinesses that don’t need our money and produce crops that get processed into junk food additives.